Horns Look To Rebound Against Eagles

After suffering three consecutive Grand Canyon regional losses to Page, 44-24, Coconino, 51-40, and Chinle, 62-58, the Longhorn basketball team is struggling to stay on track.

If the Horns are to earn an advantageous seed into the regional tournament Feb. 10 in Flagstaff, the team will need to rally in the second half of the season.

Wayne Rowland photo

Senior Kyle Hubbard goes up for a layup over a pair of Chinle
defenders. Action took place Jan. 9 in Wilson Dome. Despite
Hubbard's efforts, the Horns dropped a 62-58 decision to Chinle.

That opportunity begins at 7 p.m. today (Tuesday) at Flagstaff Sinagua. A win over the homestanding Eagles would be just the antidote the team needs to cure their ills.

The Longhorns blew a golden opportunity to nail down a regional win in the Jan. 9 loss to Chinle. After building a 31-28 halftime lead and expanding it to 49-43 early in the fourth quarter, the Horns were outscored 25-13 in the final eight minutes.

During the final three minutes, the Horns committed three turnovers which Chinle converted into field goals. The miscues erased Payson's precarious 56-53 lead.

The vocal crowd of Chinle fans who journeyed to Wilson Dome to take in the game might have played a role in the outcome.

"Our kids are young and they've never played in that atmosphere before," Loutzenheiser said. "It was so loud, it was like a home game for Chinle."

A lone bright spot in the loss was the play of senior center Mike Barr who finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

In the Jan, 6 loss to Coconino in the dome, the Horns once again faltered in the late going. Trailing only 32-28 at the start of the fourth quarter, Payson was outscored 19-12 in the last stanza. The telltale stat in the quarter could be found at the free throw line. Coconino hit 10 of 18 free throws; Payson was 3-4.